AIR FORCE ACADEMY — No matter how hard it tired, the Air Force defense could not stop Utah’s Darrell Mack inside the 10-yard line today, as he scored on three short runs, his last with 58 seconds to play to give No. 20 Utah a 30-23 victory.
Mack, who amassed 101 yards on 18 carries, scored on runs of 8, 1 and 9 yards. His second TD came on a fourth-and-goal situation early in the fourth quarter to make it 23-17. The Falcons responded with a long touchdown drive, but couldn’t stop Utah on its ensuing possession.
“Running is our specialty, and our offensive line did such a great job,” Mack said. “Those guys don’t shrink. They opened some great holes when we really needed them.”
The game ended after Air Force quarterback Shea Smith threw his second interception of the day on the first play of the ensuing drive.
The Falcons benefited from three Utes turnovers to take a 16-9 lead into halftime, and rallied late to tie it at 23 in from of 36,952 at Falcon Stadium.
Air Force (3-1, 1-1 Mountain West) was outgained in total offense 204-96 in the first half and 440-191 for the game. The Falcons had just nine first downs.
“Utah is good, really, really good,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said of the team that opened its season by beating Michigan in Ann Arbor. “They are strong at every position. They have tremendous quickness. They are certainly a squad that deserves to be in the top 15.”
Utah (4-0, 2-0) jumped ahead 9-0 within a span of 2:11 of the first quarter. Receiver David Reed caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Brian Johnson on a deep corner route, and on Air Force’s ensuing possession, Falcons punter Ryan Harrison bobbled a long snap and pitched the ball out of the end zone for a Utah safety.
Then the momentum changed with Air Force scoring on consecutive possessions to take a 10-9 lead. Harrison hit a 44-yard field goal before Kyle Lumpkin capped a 69-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown catch, making a great spin move inside the 5.
On Utah’s ensuing possession, AFA backup nose guard Rick Ricketts sacked Johnson to force a fumble, and defensive end Jake Paulson scooped it up at the 25 and ran untouched into the end zone. The extra point was botched, making it 16-9 with 3:35 remaining in the half.
“Defense played well, start to finish, (but) you can’t turn the ball over three times in the first half. That’s what really kept the game close,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “If we don’t turn it over three times in the first half, the way our defense was playing, I believe we win going away.”
Air Force gained just 96 total yards in the first half, and Smith was just 2-of-5 passing. His 42-yard pass to Kevin Fogler that set up the Falcons’ first of two offensive touchdowns accounted for all but 8 of his 50 yards through the air in the first half.
Smith finished 7-of-13 for 138 yards, with two interceptions.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
